Paper caps



April 9, 1968 K. M. AsHMoRE PAPER CAPS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 31, 1966 3,3 7&580

April 9, 1968 K, M. ASHMORE PAPER CAPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3l, 1966 United States Patent O 3,376,580 PAPER CAPS Kenneth M. Ashmore, Rte.. 4, Freeport, Ill. 61032 Filed Mar. 3l, 1966, Ser. No. 539,048 l Claim. (Cl. 2-197) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a paper cap having a locking tab on an adjustable headband, and more particularly the invention is directed to a paper cap having a crown supported by an adjustably disposed paper band in which there is a sliding engagement between the ends of the bands so that one is interior of the other, the inner one having a series of transverse cuts disposed adjacent the end of the outer band and in which there is, proximate to the end of the outer band and adapted to be cooperative with a pair of the cuts on the inner band, a pair of cuts that may be folded to cooperate with a pair of cuts on the inner band and thus form a locking tab.

While there are paper caps used in restaurants and in the food industry that are well known, they are found to have defective adjustments while they are worn, and are quickly discarded because there is slippage `after a slight amount of wearing. Especially in damp c-onditions, prior art devices 'have their headbands characterized by slipping, and it is an object therefore of the present invention to provide a simple meth-od, unobvious over the prior art, to overcome this and other defects.

An object of the present invention is to provide a series of cuts on an inner band and at least a pair of cuts adapted to engage at least two adjacent cuts disposed on 'the edge of the outer band and adapted to coalesce with two adjacently disposed transverse cuts on the inner band, so that a-fter the band is adjusted, the tab formed by lthe two outer cuts in cooperation with a pair of cuts on the inner band will form a locking tab, and as it is folded under the headband, it is held in place by being placed on ones head.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement over existing paper caps and headgear which provides a locking tab feature in the headband so that the prior art devices may be more particularly found to be useful.

A feature of the present invention is to provide a tab that lies behind the -band and which goes next .to the head when the tab is in locked position so that the pressure against the head attens the band and retains the tab in locked position to maintain it in its folded relation.

The ab-ove and other objects and advantages of the invention will become appa-rent upon full consideration of the following detailed description and' accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a lower front perspective View of a paper cap embodying the advantages and features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged projected and broken away view showing the length of the paper band, particularly the salient features that are disposed at the ends thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a broken away view showing the manner in which the ends of the elongated paper band are assembled together by folding the peripheral edges of the paper band, as shown; and

FIGURE 5 shows a cross-sectional view taken along lines 5--5 through the locking tab of FIGURE l.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a paper cap 10 having and including a crown 12 having its periphery supported throughout by an adjustably provided headband 14. The headband forms a brim throughout the opening edge of the paper cap, and it is seen that the headband is essentially an elongated length of paper having ends 16, 18, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, and there are provided reinforcing or strengthening folded sections formed by folds 20, 22, respectively.

The brim, therefore, is seen consisting of the elongated length of paper band 14 arranged to return upon itselfso that the ends 16, 18 are arranged as shown in FIG. 4, and in which upper and lower edges 20, 22, respectively, as further shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and FIG. 1, are adapted to provide stiff folds to give strength, character and form to the brim forming the paper cap. Of course, the crown 12, as described above, is supported .from Ithe brim of the paper cap. As is shown in FIGS. 1-4, there are a series of indicia and indicia markings 26, 28, on the band proximate to edge 18 that are indicative of the band size when the end or edge 16 is measured off in cooperative relation therewith as shown in FIG. 1. There is also provided a plurality of cuts 30, 30, 30 proximate and in alignment with the indicia 26, 2S, or spatially related thereto, as is shown in FIG. 3, so that these series of cuts 30, 30 are set out for a given length along the fold 20. Further, there is provided at the end of the band along fold 20 proximate to the edge 16, a pair of cuts 34, 36 adapted to cooperate with at least 4two of the cuts 30, 30, when the cuts 34, 36 are congruous or coalesce with one of a set of cuts 30, 30. When this is achieved and the band 14 is adjusted to a given size or length as desired, then the portion of paper 38 is folded away and downwardly between the cuts 34, 36 to for'm a locking tab, and it is held in place when the paper cap is placed upon ones head. While the paper cap is being worn, the locking tab 38 is maintainedin its folded condition downwardly 4and between composite sections 40, 42, as seen in FIG. 2, and the purpose of the locking tab is maintained in place without being capable of slippage or any undesired adjustment of the headband.

I-t is within the scope of the invention to pro-vide a resin or paraiin used throughout the sweat band 14 to aid in lsecuring the lock tab 38 in place.

The tab 38 may be formed by cuts 34, 36 incident to a cutting operation formed by a die making the slots 34, 36.

Additional embodiments of the invention in this specilication will occur to others and therefore it is intended that the sco-pe of the invention be limited only by the appended claim and not by the embodiments described hereinabove. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claim in determining the full scope of the invention.

' What is claimed is:

1. A paper cap co-mprising a brim and a crown portion secured thereto, said brim being an elongated b-and having upper and lower marginally folded portions and telescoped end portions, one of said telescoping end portions having a series of spaced transverse cuts formed marginally in the fold of the upper folded portion and including size indicia thereon, the other of said telescoping end portions having a pair of spaced transverse cuts formed in the fold 0f the upper folded portion, the spacing of said pair of transverse cuts being equal to the spacing of any two adjacent cuts of said series of spaced transverse cuts, said pair of spaced transverse cuts and any two adjacent spaced transverse cuts of said series lbeing placed in alignment when adjusting the elongated band with the aligned cuts dening a bendable locking tab therebetween.

' 44 Y. References Cited UNITED STATES'PATENTS 1,926,359 9/1933 Anthony 24-171 2,685,090 8/1954 Wagenfeld 2-197 2,856,608 -10/1958 Wagenfeld 2--197 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

